# No, VH1, I Do NOT Love the '70s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673 "2003-08-21T14:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/21 "2003-08-21T20:14:31Z")
I was born in 78, but all this is really interesting for me. I’m sure my mom would LOVE it, since she graduated in 76. Some of those years would be her PRIME! haha ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/22 "2003-08-21T20:17:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Breezy \* > \*\*I was born in 78, but all this is really interesting for me. I’m sure my mom would LOVE it, since she graduated in 76. Some of those years would be her PRIME! haha \*\* Oh, Jeebus. I am _older than your Mom_. That’s what keeps hitting me: I see “1975” and think, “yeah, I was 18 and going into college that year . . .” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/23 "2003-08-21T20:19:52Z")
While I’ve liked Michael Ian Black since he was Johnny BlueJeans on VIVA VARIETY, I agree: get people who can actually remember chunks of the 70s. I thought having two of the ZOOM kids was inspired, for instance. People I’d cast: [Alison Arngrim](http://www.hgd.com/alison/) , Shirley Jones, McKenzie Phillips, Jimmy Carter, Steven Ford, Gene Simmons, Patty Duke, Gloria Stuart, etc., all of whom could add different perspectives on the era. People I wouldn’t cast: Any of the washed up 70s media whores still pathetically trying to scale back up the slopes of Olympos, like Fred “Rerun” Berry (who not only legally changed his middle name to “Rerun” but thinks his act is worth [$14 million](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/rerunberry1.html) , Eric Estrada, or David Cassidy. You can’t turn on a feminine hygiene disposal infomercial without seeing at least one of them. I think Moe Rocca is cute and sometimes funny, but who is he sleeping with these days to get the excessive amount of airtime he’s been given? ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/24 "2003-08-21T20:27:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*Oh, Jeebus. I am _older than your Mom_. That’s what keeps hitting me: I see “1975” and think, “yeah, I was 18 and going into college that year . . .” \*\* Oh **Eve** only a YEAR older than my mom. She went to college in 1976 as a freshman, and had me in 78. AND, I have a YOUNG mom. She was just 19 when she had me, so being just a year older than my mom isn’t a bad thing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/25 "2003-08-21T20:35:44Z")
Oh, and if I hear Eric Estrada say, “And, yes, they can call me 'Ponch” any day" one more time, I am going to _snap._ ---
**Author:** ![DeskMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DeskMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeskMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/26 "2003-08-21T20:39:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*Oh, and if I hear Eric Estrada say, “And, yes, they can call me 'Ponch” any day" one more time, I am going to _snap._ \*\* My guess is that Eric is perfectly pleased when anyone calls him anything. Ever. And why do they keep showing crotch shots of that damned chimp? Can’t they train it to sit still? Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/27 "2003-08-21T21:33:41Z")
> [@](#): > > I think I remember seeing a quick ad saying that it was coming in October. Maybe I dreamed that. Not sure. Coming in October is “I Love the 80s Strikes Back!” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/28 "2003-08-21T23:34:31Z")
I had Baby Alive! I must have been about 6 or 7 but I remember making her crap on the sofa and then giving her a beating! And then making her eat all sorts of inedible objects! Hal Sparks seems like a bitter, bitter little man to me. That guy Mark from Blink182 crack me up every time. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/29 "2003-08-22T00:29:30Z")
Where are the clackers (that’s what we called them anyway) and the killer doberman movies and the prog-rock? Or are they saving it for the late 70s episodes with Styx and Kansas? **voguevixen** that’s Megyn Price. I can relate to her Hong Kong Phooey story, although we didn’t have a filing cabinet for me to try it with, I remember trying to do the same manuever by jumping onto our couch and hoping to rebound off of it and coming out in that karate kick stance. Never worked, and my attempts stopped once my Mom caught me trying it. Could someone hurry up and send Ellen Cleghorne and Bill Dwyer into the showbiz career black hole? Or least give Jason Mraz back his bong, send him to his room, and maybe he’ll shut up. ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/30 "2003-08-22T01:40:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunilou \* > **Every time Michael Ian Black shows up on screen, I want to slap the TV.** I couldn’t agree with you more. I don’t get this guy. I realize his shtick is the deadpan delivery but man oh man is this guy completely unfunny. He makes Chevy Chase seem like a genius…and I’m talking about the jaded 2003 model, not the hip, young 1975 version. If this is the best that ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/31 "2003-08-22T01:43:17Z")
vh1 can do…then sheesh! (sorry about the broken post!) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/32 "2003-08-22T02:08:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*I agree: get people who can actually remember chunks of the 70s. … > > People I’d cast: …McKenzie Phillips… \*\* Which is it? Make up your mind! Heh heh. BTW, our cable went out this afternoon…if it’s not fixed by tonight and I miss the Bicentennial, I’m gonna be PISSED! ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/33 "2003-08-22T05:17:19Z")
I don’t like “I Love the 70’s” because I wasn’t there to love them. “I Love the 80’s” was great for me, because I was, you know, alive. Altough I was only born in 1982, I still have only the best memories of Transformers, Thundercats, and He-Man. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/34 "2003-08-22T05:30:32Z")
I’m not going to watch it. I don’t remember the 70’s, and they can’t make me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/35 "2003-08-22T06:13:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, Jeebus. I am older than your Mom. That’s what keeps hitting me: I see “1975” and think, “yeah, I was 18 and going into college that year . . .” Eve, I shocked myself the other day when I realized that people too young to remember when Reagan was President are now going to college. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/36 "2003-08-22T06:14:12Z")
I realize that being born in 1984 might have a lot to do with it, but I don’t like this nearly as much as I liked I Love the 80’s. The commentary doesn’t seem as funny this time around for the most part, and I think a lot of that can be attriubted to what a lot here have mentioned - half these people were barely sentient in the 70’s. It also seems to me like 80’s focused more on fashion and completely random pop culture trends than 70’s has so far, but I may just be remembering wrong. Hal Sparks does look even cuter this time around, though. ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/37 "2003-08-22T08:09:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*Eve, I shocked myself the other day when I realized that people too young to remember when Reagan was President are now going to college. \*\* _raises hand_ ---
**Author:** ![Anniee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Anniee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anniee)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/38 "2003-08-22T09:38:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamlet \* > \*\*I don’t fully understand it either, but I found myself strangly enraptured by this show. I know I should just turn it off, but… I can’t. I blame some kind of weird mind-ray that VH-1 is shooting into my brain. Time to get my aluminum foil hat on again. > > I was especially creeped out by the freaky [Blythe Doll](http://shop.store.yahoo.com/kanoko/blythedoll.html). I don’t recall ever seeing one in the 70’s, but DAMN those are freaky dolls, with the giant heads and changing eye colors. And I loved Spark’s comment about them being Barbies with encephalitis. Heh. > > I think Michael Ian Black and Hal Sparks are downright funny on that show and it’s prior incarnation. Black’s deadpan humor and Sparks’ over-the-top comments make the show worthwhile. So I’ll be watching. Like I had any choice with their mindbeams. \*\* I remember the Blythe dolls; but I don’t remember if I justed really WANTED one or owned one. Creepy, weren’t they??? I so agree about Black’s deadpanning…I loved it on the 80s one and I love it now. Hal Sparks is funny too. So the show is cheesy; I’ve enjoyed both sets of shows. And Dee Snyder has been cracking me UP. I like him more than ever; and it isn’t just because of Strangeland. 🙂 So I guess this makes me white trash or something; but so be it. It’s like being a kid again 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/39 "2003-08-22T12:52:23Z")
At least Michael Ian Black admitted, “I was only four years old for the Bicentennial.” The hair fad of 1976, by the way, was the Barbra Streisand Perm—_everyone_ had one. Except me, thankfully; my hair was too long to perm. And why were click-clacks in “1977?” I played with them in '73. And Captain Kangaroo in the mid-70s? I watched him in the early '60s! I have a feeling VH1’s “research” consists of someone saying, “yeah, I sorta remember that from when I was ten,” and that’s good enough. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673/40 "2003-08-22T13:05:29Z")
I don’t even recall click-clacks, but I did note that the songs they play aren’t necessarily from the year that they appear… for example, there was a 1977 segment on last night where they played the 1973 song “Everybody Played the Fool” by The Main Ingredient. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vh1-i-do-not-love-the-70s/196673.md?page=3)